The book has no strength, the female supporting role just wants to survive

Chapter 315: Mrs. Ji's Thoughts

The class this morning was equivalent to a modern music class. Students from the four branches sat in a circle in the central square of the girls' school.

Jiang Tunan saw that everyone had a musical instrument in their hands, and he felt a little embarrassed because he had not prepared anything.

"That's it. You didn't come to the first class, and I forgot to tell you that you have to bring your own instrument to the music class."

Shangguan Ruoyi spoke with some annoyance. As the sleeve commander of Xiyun Court, how could she make such a low-level mistake?

Lan Ying from Yuhuayuan nearby spoke to comfort him,

"It seems that the girls' school has prepared musical instruments for the students, but the quality of those instruments is a little poor. Go ask the teacher who is teaching today, and ask her to help lead them."

"Yeah, how could I forget this!"

Shangguan Ruoyi exclaimed with joy. Actually, the girls' school had always prepared musical instruments for everyone, but everyone disliked the poor quality and limited variety of the instruments there, so they all agreed to bring their own, and over time everyone forgot about this matter.

Jiang Tunan scratched her head. Actually, she wanted to say that she knew nothing and she couldn't play a musical instrument even if she was given one.

However, Shangguan Ruoyi's enthusiasm made her speechless. Forget it, she would just take it one step at a time.

Shangguan Ruoyi took Jiang Tunan to the teacher's rest room. The moment Jiang Tunan saw the teacher, he was stunned.

Isn’t this Mrs. Ji?

"Auntie...uh, Master..."

As soon as Jiang Tunan opened his mouth, Mrs. Ji looked at him coldly. Jiang Tunan didn't know if it was his illusion, but it seemed that Mrs. Ji always had an inexplicable dissatisfaction with him.

"What are you doing here?"

Shangguan Ruoyi stepped forward respectfully and explained,

"Master, Miss Jiang didn't bring any musical instruments today. She wants to borrow a piano from the storeroom of the girls' school."

Madam Ji stood up and walked closer.

"Why did everyone bring it, but you didn't?"

Jiang Tunan spoke awkwardly.

"Because I'm stupid."

Mrs. Ji:?

Shangguan Ruoyi: (thumbs up)

Jiang Tunan's direct remarks left Mrs. Ji at a loss for words.

"You...you...um...I..."

Mrs. Ji finally accepted her fate and said,

"Jiang Tunan, come with me. Shangguan, you go back first."

Shangguan Ruoyi politely left the room, and Jiang Tunan followed Mrs. Ji to the storeroom to get the piano.

"I don't mean to target you. As long as you behave yourself and don't cause trouble for the Xiao family, I am willing to accept you."

Mrs. Ji talked as they walked, and Jiang Tunan nodded obediently, but in his heart he was thinking that although he had made Xiao Chuan'er unhappy, it should not be considered as causing trouble for the Xiao family.

"After all, your current status cannot be scrutinized, so keeping to yourself is your best option. I am doing this for your own good."

Jiang Tunan continued to nod. In fact, Mrs. Ji did not do anything out of the ordinary.

If Jiang Tunan were to put himself in her shoes, his family was rich and powerful, and suddenly his sister-in-law's husband brought home a country kid of unknown origin. It would be fine if Huo Huo's family had to cover up the kid's identity, but his own family would also have to help cover up the kid's identity. A normal person's first reaction would be a little puzzled.

Jiang Tunan had worked in clinical practice and had seen many unreasonable people, so Mrs. Ji's occasional nitpicking in her eyes was nothing.

"In fact, I have also heard about the Xiao Mansion's affairs recently. Those troublesome people from the second house are here. Xiao Huaimin is very tough to outsiders, but he is a coward to his own relatives."

"Xinhui may have some opinions about you at first, but after all, she has provided you with food and clothing, so she is not too bad to you. So sometimes, you should speak up for Xinhui. It is not easy for her either."

Jiang Tunan didn't know why Madam Ji told him so much at once. Could it be because the legendary second branch of the Xiao family was coming, so she was busy forming a united front?

Mrs. Ji really did the right thing. Judging from Xiao Chuan'er's personality, Jiang Tunan didn't have much good feelings towards the second branch of the Xiao family.

Behind every naughty child there must be a naughty parent, so if Jiang Tunan had to choose, of course he would choose Mrs. Xiao.

"Don't worry, Master. I understand."

Mrs. Ji nodded with satisfaction. Before, when she heard Ji Xinhui say that Jiang Tunan was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye, she didn't believe it and thought that Ji Xinhui was just trying to make compromises. Unexpectedly, now it seems that what she said makes some sense.

At least after she said so much, Jiang Tunan looked like he was seriously learning the lesson the whole time, without any impatience at all.

Even if Jiang Tunan was pretending, she still had emotional intelligence.

Moreover, Mrs. Ji also believed that even if Jiang Tunan did not stand on Ji Xinhui's side, he would never help the people in the second house.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Ji felt better.

"This is the music room for girls. Go in and choose a musical instrument."

Jiang Tunan stood at the door of the instrument room, feeling a little helpless.

"Choose."

Mrs. Ji nodded at Jiang Tunan, motioning her to go inside. Jiang Tunan had no choice but to go inside.

Mrs. Ji followed Jiang Tunan in, but when she saw Jiang Tunan picking up the erhu in the corner, she suddenly became a little uneasy.

"Put it there for me!"

Jiang Tunan silently put the erhu back to its original place. She knew that everyone had such a deep misunderstanding about the erhu (helplessly holding her forehead).

"But Master, I don't know how to play any other instrument."

Mrs. Ji was also a little embarrassed. Jiang Tunan only knew how to play the erhu, but she couldn't let Jiang Tunan play the erhu in the ensemble. The sound would be so abrupt.

"Then just pick one. You can start from scratch anyway. When your house competes, just pretend and don't make any noise."

Since Mrs. Ji said so, Jiang Tunan just did what she wanted. She walked between the shelves, looking for a suitable musical instrument, and finally chose a ruan.

It’s not that other musical instruments are bad, but Jiang Tunan had seen Xing Er’s performance before and was deeply moved at the time, so Jiang Tunan also wanted to learn and try this noble instrument.

When Mrs. Ji saw the Ruanqin in Jiang Tunan's hand, she raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, but did not say anything.

"Let's go, it's time for class."

........

In the imperial study, Yan Jian's back was already soaked with cold sweat. He really didn't know much about the famine in Jizhou.

In the Ministry of Revenue, almost every year there are local officials who come to the court to request tax reduction or exemption on the grounds of poor harvest. Having been in the Ministry of Revenue for so long, doesn't he know whether it is true or not?

Some places say that they will reduce taxes due to poor harvests, but in fact, the reduced taxes go into the pockets of local officials. If everyone reports one tax after another, the money will go into other people's hands. How will the Ministry of Revenue make a living?

So Yan Jian didn't take it seriously. After all, he had done the same thing before. He would write back some letters to the places that reported the disaster to comfort them, and that would be the end of the matter. However, who knew that Jizhou really suffered a disaster.

Baili Quan sat on the dragon throne with his eyes half closed, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. He only spoke calmly,

"Minister Hu, what do you say?"

Yan Jian immediately knelt down and began to cry with great emotion.

"Your Majesty, please understand! All disaster reports submitted by various places must be reviewed by the Ministry of Revenue, and then officials will be sent out to investigate on the spot before a final judgment can be made. Maybe the process has been delayed for some time, but it is definitely not a case of knowing the situation but not reporting it!!"

Yan Jian looked miserable.

"Some places reported poor harvests and requested tax reductions. When the Ministry of Revenue went to the area, they found that a strong wind had blown down several old locust trees and damaged some seedlings. If the Ministry of Revenue had not investigated and reported the matter to the emperor, wouldn't they be accused of dereliction of duty?"

Baili Quan remained silent. Su Youheng was unwilling to miss this opportunity to suppress the Second Prince's faction, so he continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, Minister Yan is clearly trying to shirk responsibility. The Ministry of Revenue is the department in charge of the land and taxes of the whole country. Now that the victims of the disaster are rioting and the people of Jizhou are living in misery, isn't it the negligence of the Ministry of Revenue? How can you just brush it off so lightly?"

Meng Shi, who was beside Yan Jian, sneered and said,

"Seeing that the Prime Minister cares so much about the people, we feel ashamed."

Su Youheng turned his head away, not wanting to pay attention to Meng Shi's sarcastic words, but Meng Shi immediately spoke up,

"Since the Prime Minister knew about the disaster in Jizhou a long time ago, why didn't he report it earlier, but waited until the Emperor asked? The Prime Minister cares about the people, and he wants to punish people as soon as he opens his mouth."

Meng Shi advised the emperor:

"Your Majesty, I think the most urgent task is to solve the problem of the disaster victims first."

The disaster in Jizhou was more serious than anyone had imagined, but due to various considerations, Baili Quan did not bring it up at the first time during the court session, because he knew that a single stone could cause a thousand ripples, and there were some people he could not touch.

"Where are the other dear ministers?"

Xiao Huaimin from the Ministry of Rites and Ji Lian from the Ministry of Justice stood together and calmly watched this fight, which was actually a fight between the two princes' factions under the pretext of famine. To them, both sides were not good people and the common people were nothing more than tools for them to attack the other side.

The Minister of Industry, He Songqing, was the first to speak.

"Your Majesty, I think what Minister Meng said makes sense. Nowadays, disaster victims in various parts of Kyoto are causing trouble more and more frequently. I am afraid that there will be a sudden riot one day, which may cause chaos."

Xiao Huaimin and Ji Lian looked at each other, then spoke together,

"I second the proposal."

Baili Quan suppressed the anger in his heart.

"Why don't you do it quickly? There are more and more disaster victims now, the Hundred Flowers Festival is coming soon, and then there will be the International Court Meeting. Will we let foreigners laugh at us then?!"

Baili Quan calmed himself down and said,

"Regarding the resettlement of disaster victims, the Prime Minister will be responsible."

"The Ministry of Rites should pay more attention to the departure times of the teams from various countries in the next few days to see if they can be postponed a little bit, so as not to let the disaster victims affect the Hundred Flower Festival."

"During this period of time, the Ministry of Revenue will organize the intelligence of Jizhou and hand it over to me. Remember, if I find that there is any concealment, I will never forgive it!"

"The Ministry of Personnel should thoroughly investigate the local officials in Jizhou to see if there are any who oppress the people or neglect their duties."

"The Ministry of Works sent people to check the farmland in Jizhou to see if it is impossible to grow crops. If there is a way to save it, we will do our best to let the people resume farming as soon as possible."

Baili Quan just felt a headache. A natural disaster happened suddenly, which caught him off guard, and it happened to be during the period of the International Assembly.

Looking at Yan Jian and Meng Shi below, Baili Quan's eyes darkened. It seemed that it was time to balance the relationship between these people again.

Everyone received the order and left. Yan Jian said with lingering fear on the way,

"Fortunately, the emperor did not listen to that old man Su Youheng, otherwise I would be in trouble."

Meng Shi glanced at Yan Jian sideways.

"Do you think the emperor really won't blame you? It's just that he can't spare any effort right now. You'd better keep your tail between your legs and stay low. Don't make any mistakes again, or I won't be able to save you."

Yan Jian broke out in a cold sweat again and nodded straight.

"Thank you, uncle. Thank you, uncle."

Meng Shi sighed and thought that although Yan Jian was an obedient dog under the Second Prince, he was too greedy. Such a person was harmless when the Second Prince was still a prince, but if the Second Prince ascended to that position one day, he would probably not be able to keep him any longer.

In the imperial study, after all the ministers had left, Baili Quan spoke to Yuan Fu beside him with a serious look,

"Go and call Wen Zhu over to me."

........

Wen Zhu was wearing a bamboo green gown and a mask on his face. From a distance, he had an aura of nobility and inaccessibility.

Eunuch Yuanfu was an old man in front of the emperor, but he had never seen Wen Zhu's true appearance.

"Mr. Wen is here. Please wait here. I will go in and report first."

Wen Zhu responded politely.

"Thank you, father-in-law."

I still remember the first time Wen Zhu came. The previous leader of Zhuying Pavilion had just met with misfortune, and the emperor was worried that no one would take over Zhuying Pavilion. Unexpectedly, a man who claimed to be the former leader's apprentice appeared. Wen Zhu looked only twelve or thirteen years old at that time.

Originally, the emperor was skeptical about Wen Zhu's ability, until Wen Zhu defeated all the masters of the palace around the emperor. At that time, the young man stood in the secret room, the iron mask on his face reflected the firelight. All the masters of the palace fell in front of him, and he himself turned into a bloody man, but he still stood.

Later, Wen Zhu became the new leader of Zhuying Pavilion, and Zhuying Pavilion developed better and better in his hands. Until now, no one knows that Zhuying Pavilion is actually a secret line in the hands of the current emperor.

Yuanfu walked into the imperial study with a look of emotion, and Yuanlu next to him came up with eager eyes.

Wen Zhu curled his lips and took out a paper bag from his sleeve.

"I came in a hurry today, so I only have some ordinary snacks. Just make do with them to satisfy your craving. I'll bring you something delicious next time."

Yuanlu nodded gratefully, and when no one around him noticed, he secretly stuffed a whole piece of dessert into his mouth.

"Thank you, Master Wen. If it weren't for you, I don't know how many delicious foods I would have missed!"

Yuanlu is now fifteen years old, which is the age when he is greedy. He was only thirteen years old when he entered the palace, and Wenzhu was already the head of Zhuying Pavilion.

Wen Zhu was sixteen years old at that time. Although the emperor acknowledged that he was the head of Zhuying Pavilion, he still treated him as a child, so he often prepared snacks for him, and Wen Zhu could only pack them up and take them away every time.

Until one day, he saw Yuanroku staring at the snack in his hand and swallowing his saliva, then he discovered Yuanroku's hidden attribute.

So every time he came, he would bring some snacks from outside the palace for Yuanlu, but today the emperor suddenly summoned him, so he could only get some from the Imperial Academy.

"Mr. Wen Zhu, please."

Yuanfu respectfully brought Wenzhu in. When he came out, he saw Yuanlu with puffy cheeks. He slapped Yuanlu with his whisk in dismay.

"Eat, eat, eat. All you do is eat. If you go back later to eat, it might kill you!"

Yuanlu blinked his eyes and dared not make a sound, but he was chewing rapidly in his mouth. Yuanfu looked at Yuanlu's silly look and was also amused by it. Thinking that Yuanlu was only fifteen years old, he didn't say anything.